Artturi Lehkonen Headline With Necas’ Pressure Quote Before Game 1
artturi lehkonen was in the middle of a Colorado playoff buildup that centered on Martin Necas, who said pressure is part of the job as the Avalanche prepared for Game 1 against Minnesota. Necas also carried a Kings series line that left room for more, with no goals on 12 shots and two points.
Necas at Family Sports Center
After practice at Family Sports Center, Necas answered the simplest playoff question with the kind of line teams use to steady a room. “Pressure is a privilege, right? So it’s nice to be in this spot.”
Brent Burns was unwrapping his gear to Necas’s left in the locker room, part of the scene as Colorado geared up for the opener. Necas has been in this position before: he has played in 11 Stanley Cup games with the Avalanche since arriving in a trade with Carolina 17 months ago.
Colorado and the Kings series
The Kings series gave Colorado a sharper test of what Necas can provide in the postseason. He was scoreless on 12 shots and finished with two points, even as he said the chances kept coming later in the series.
“I feel like, as the (Kings) series went on, we had a lot of chances,” he said. Colorado still went 7-4 in the 11 Stanley Cup games Necas has played, and the numbers around him show a split that has mattered in the postseason: the Avalanche are 4-1 whenever he records at least a point.
Bednar on Necas
Jared Bednar gave Necas a measured assessment after the first-round work. “I thought his series was OK,” the coach said, adding, “He was committed on the defensive side.”
Bednar also pointed to a bigger team detail that follows Colorado into this series. “I think they can impact the power play a little bit more by some better decisions and whatnot.” Colorado had its first power-play goal in 10 postseason attempts against the Kings, so the opening against Minnesota comes with one obvious pressure point already on the board.
For Colorado, that leaves Necas in a familiar role: a swift winger being asked to turn chances into points while the Avalanche try to clean up a power play that lagged in the previous round. The opener against Minnesota puts his playoff response back in the center of the series, where the difference between a quiet night and a point has already tracked with Colorado’s results.
